Saturday July 12, 2025 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends (see Sooke Fine Arts Show sponsors)
Art by youth is featured each year at the Sooke Fine Arts Show.
Now in this 39th year of the popular coastal art exhibit there is a boost for the display of art creations by teenage artists.
To feature emerging talent the Youth Art Gallery has been refurbished for the 2025 Sooke Fine Arts Show. That includes a new lighting system on par with that of the main gallery.
The Youth Art Gallery will display 45 works by 20 high school artists from schools in School District 62 Sooke (schools in Sooke, Colwood and Langford).
“Bringing the youth display up to the same standards as the main gallery has been a goal of the organization for several years,” says Jen Hayward, Executive Director, Sooke Fine Arts Show.
The Youth Gallery is situated outside the main arena area near the food concession and washrooms.
“This year, under the lead of volunteer Murray Tomkins and the design and construction team, we are proud to have achieved the goal of supporting the next generation of artists,” says Hayward.
The full exhibit includes sculpture, fibre, jewellery, woodworking, photography, digital art, glass, and ceramics.
The push for more recognition of youth artists was heard in speeches by show sponsors during the 2024 SFAS Awards Evening. Dr Chris Bryant focused on that in his remarks and Mary P Brooke included that in her remarks as well.
Bryant thanked the show “for having the bravery to allow youth to express themselves”.
Brooke spoke of the creativity and commitment of visual artists as a process to interpret the moods and challenges of our times through their art.
10-day show:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2025 runs for 10 days from July 26 through August 4, including daily through the BC Day Long Weekend. [See Island Social Trends Community Events Calendar]
Each year the show transforms the arena at the SEAPARC Recreation Centre in Sooke into a high-calibre exhibit gallery together with gift shop and live performance areas. Over 370 artworks by more than 260 artists will comprise this year’s exhibit.
The event is an economic driver for the Sooke region during the height of the summer tourism season.
The 10-day show kicks off each year with a Purchasers’ Preview Night. That’s coming up on Friday July 25. The $55 tickets are limited — tickets available online.
===== RELATED:
- Awards night in Sooke recognizes coastal artists (August 3, 2024)
- Sooke Fine Art show exhibit assembly takes 3 weeks (June 28, 2024)
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